174 comments:

After watching that video, I actually didn't think it was all that bad. Some of those shots he missed could have gone either way. Pre-season is the time to get back into playing shape and considering that Lin was on his Asia trip, he probably didn't to play a lot of 5on5 ball like he did last year during the lockout.

I think it's also perfect now that he's getting experience against these type of defenses where they are locking down the paint, trapping him, and forcing him to shoot or pass. This will elevate Jeremy's learning experience and his skills, and although he will struggle throughout the season, this is better for him overall and he's a hard worker. The Houston Rockets are expected to fail in general. Also since Lin isn't play for his life or for a contract, he's probably holding back and will turn it on when it counts. I think they mentioned during the game that McHale only put it like 2-3 offensive plays so the players are just winging it.

Again, Lin and the entire team are still adjusting, and I expect that to continue since it's still only the Pre-season.

You don't think Lin is not as quick as before? I watched video just now. He did 2 turn overs he should not. He didn't pass the ball quicky so turn over happened. I thought his shooting improved this summer but it's not. I think he is really nervous. I just hope he will not lose his confidense. In Knicks,thus confidense helped him a lot. I also don't know whether his chemistry good with those rookies. It seems like they like to shoot by themselves, no game plan. And coach didn't give good advice to them like Knicks coach.

Lin is still quick, but remember it's only Pre-Season. Many NBA players use this time to get used to any new teammates and get back into playing shape. You can look throughout the stats around the league, there's tons of missed shots and turnovers. Also Lin didn't play summer ball like he did last summer, so his rhythm is going to be off.

It's already been said Coach McHale only put in 2-3 actual plays and the rest was up to the players. Everything you mentioned whether it was rookies, confidence, and shooting will come in time and takes time to develop in game so it's still very early. Some players are said to be amazing shooters in practice, but it doesn't always necessarily happen in games either.

I'm not worried whatsoever. In fact, I expect Jeremy to have an All-Star caliber year once the games ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING.

Do we really need to have a "keep the faith" post after one bad preseason game? Do you guys realize that Jeremy had awful games in the Ivy League too? He played MUCH better against UConn and BC and Georgetown than he did against Princeton and Cornell!

RELAX. It's preseason, you dopes. I hate to call my fellow JL fans "dopes," but seriously...you're letting idiots and haters and idiot haters get to you.

Are you all guys worried about Machado? He did good job so far compared with Lin. How ome he had 11 assists and Lin had only one? I think Machado fist had no big pressure than Lin from opponents. And he took the good chance to pass the ball, am I right? Lin was always trapped by some players. But they didn't do that to Machado.

Most of us hwre are so unimpressed with Scott Machado and his D league level play.

He is allowed to play his shoot first game because he's not a majot league threat like Jeremy Lin. Also, nobody is running Machado through picks because he's not a true lockdown defender like Jeremy Lin.

Once the games start, Machado would be feasted on by real NBA POINT GUARDS, backups included.

“He’s [Lin] an attack guy, so you’ve got to load the paint and be aware of him in transition,’’ Jones said. “Try to clog the paint and try and make him work for everything he gets." - Dahntay Jones of Mavs

That is exactly what the Spurs did.... particularly with Rockets 2 good players absent. Kevin M, the shooter, will be back in today. All Spurs good players played yesterday - even if it was for 12 minutes each.

“I think it’s the exhibition season and I don’t think it’s [Lin's Spurs game] a big deal. The guy [Lin] is a really good player and he’s a guy you’ve got to game-plan for.’’ - Rick Carlisle, the Mavs coach

Unlike those so called "true Rockets fans", I am honestly unimpressed by all other Rockets players other than Lin, especially those rookies. I might be harsh, but I meant teams game planned against Lin while having next to no scouting reports on the rest of them and basically leaving them open all the time, but they still were unable to go off?

Let's wait until 10 or so real games when every player is scouted, we will see the true star emerge!

Right now is the time where you can easily tell who is a real fan, who is a bandwagoner, hater, an ice skate mom or a sick stalker.

JLin was great - we already know that. He is now recovering, rebuilding his body, adapting to a new envirement, new players, new coach, new system. Hes got a lot of pressure to deal with - a lot of haters who want to see him fail (and fans who seem to want the same) - we dont know how the coach-JLin relation is and we dont know how the locker room situation is. Lets not judge prematurely.

Jepp - but Im not just talking about pseudofans but real fans. I know it sounds crazy but there are fans who love to suffer with their athletes. Still sounds crazy right? Scientists have proven that gamblers like gambling, know they are going to loose and yet gamble -> they want to lose...

BTW, I like what McHale is doing with Lin. He only run very few simple offensive plays and is determined to let Lin's talent figure it out itself. That might be some growing pains at first but it will only help out Lin's progress as a star player and eventually pay off handsomely long term. I meant it's easy to put out a rigid system and run every set play to let the players know what they are doing and make them look good. But that way would be fool's gold honestly and only make players one dimensional.

It's hilarious for me re Morey to be honest. It's like him celebrating his "genius signing" of Asik already. His ego is really too big for my liking. Not to diminish Asik or his achievement, but stats in preseason really mean nothing.

Asik is awesome. Morey really hit a home run this off season. Lin and Asik are perfectly complementary players who have elite potential. Houston ain't gonna lose nearly as many games as even its own fans think.

Asik is a very nice center to have. Above all, he is smart, which will carry him very far. Athleticism is good as well. Athleticism is not everything folks. Just like we preached with Lin before he became star. Anybody who can't see he can play is either blind or just won't admit it.

The key to winning the rebounding title is to have a quality big man beside you who blocks out the REAL rebounders. Asik doesn't have that the way he did in Chicago with Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.

Asik is nowhere near as good as people think he is. For him to play to the level that people are hoping for, he needs to be able to post up and play the pivot. Asik hasn't demonstrated that he can do that, and I can't see it happening either.

I'm always in support of Lin. If he suddenly left and joined like the Raptors, then I would be studying up on the Raptors and would never watch another Rockets game again. It was like when he left GSW, I watched more D-League games than NBA games at that point. I will keep the faith in Jeremy Lin, I just wish players would play fair and not intentionally hurt Lin and his knee on purpose. If it was a regular 1 v 1 they know they have no chance so they have to hurt him and hope he doesn't come back to the paint but I know Lin will always keep coming back and they really should give easier technical fouls so people learn their lesson.

Unlike you, I am a fan of basketball. And I am a fan of Lin because he plays good basketball, not because he's Lin. I like to watch good basketball whichever teams play it. The Nuggets for example are one of my favorites. I would continue to watch Rockets too even if they traded Lin but continued to play good ball. For the record, I still continue to keep an eye on the Knicks to check out how they are doing although it's not for basketball reason lol.

I mean it's not like I'll totally not watch basketball if Lin is gone, he's made me start watching basketball and appreciate the sport a lot more than when I started. Now I wouldn't mind watching some Lakers games and I'll watch the Knicks and Nets since their hometown teams although I'm not rooting for the Knicks. Have to admit, Prigioni is pretty good, he's like a Ginoboli. I just meant I follow Lin and all the teams he plays against and in the meanwhile learn basketball and become a fan.

Nobody is trying to hurt Lin or his knee. Don't fret. If he plays well, he will be on the receiving end of some flagrants, but that happens to Kobe, too. Flagrant fouls rarely cause players to get injured such that they miss games.

You should start to fret if no one bothers flagrant fouling Lin. That means he doesn't matter.

thats ok. There are many types of fans. But I would claim youre a fan as well:

"And I am a fan of Lin because he plays good basketball, not because he's Lin."

If youre were solely interested in athletes as athletes and not as people you would probably not post here (JLin fansite were girls say hes cute and guys wonder whether and who hes dating) but on a generall bball forum :)

@Michael Terry:

Its not totally absurd that people want to hurt him. You did mention Kobe and there have been players who admitted they wanted to take him out of the game by fouling him.

Maybe Im a little bitter cause I had to give up bball because of my knee troubles but I think that basketball should not turn into ice-hockey where fouling is sort of OK.

Did you know that the first public thing the Knicks had Prig do was to take a cheap shot at Jeremy? And they are practically of a different generation! LOL.

The Knicks are such sore losers just because they didn't get anything out of letting Jeremy go, which they had planned to do on their own terms - just not through Jeremy getting a decent contract from another team (hahaha), that they couldn't really match for complicated and multiple reasons.

I also keep coming here because I actually find this site with some posters with real basketball knowledge and insight. If this site was just a fan girl Lin worship site like some other Lin sites, I wouldn't have come here!

I second the praise for Omer Asik. He's the only true big man for the Rockets right now. He needs to be healthy for the season to protect the paint and rebound misses. Asik, Martin and Jeremy should not risk injury in games that don't matter.

I am not that impressed by Asik as you guys. Let's see the real games before any judgement, okay?

His foul trouble problem and stamina worry me. Also I want to see how he shoots his FT in real pressure situations instead of games that don't matter. His lack of post game and jumper will make teams lag him off big time too in real games.

We'd better hope Asik is every bit as good as his preseason leading rebounds/36 suggests he is, because Lin (a high scoring point guard) being paired with a shot blocking/rebounding machine is the ideal two player combination. If Asik takes care of rebounding and defense in the middle for this team, Houston, with their large cap space this offseason, will be able to go after a free agent that complements Lin and Asik and will be able to reach contender status in the next couple years.

Despite Jeremy Lin being THE BEST help defender in the league and THE BEST point guard defender in the league, it's not going to hide the hard truth that Omer Asik is an athletically limited center whose sole virtue is that he has mobile footwork.

What Omer Asik needs is to be paired with a top frontcourt defender who does all the blocking out and can chase the fast guys around the court. He had that in Taj Gibson who is one of the NBA's best all around defenders (can cover all 5 positions). Asik doesn't have that on the Rockets, and his inability to cover the top frontcourt talents will be exposed soon enough. Not even Jeremy Lin can cover up for Asik's shortcomings

This is why I wanted the Rockets to draft Jae Crowder. Even though Crowder is woefully undersized at 6'5", he's a brutish and active defender with a long track record of anchoring defenses by himself. I'd live with Crowder's short height in the post because he goes after people on defense and can hold his position. Crowder is Chuck Hayes with a jump shot!

Knicks news related hits and clicks have fallen off the cliff. It's down by over 70% after Lin signed with the Rockets. To get more attention, the Knicks keep writing articles about Lin on their websites. I haven't even bothered to read their articles or visit their websites after Lin's signing and settling in with the Rockets. :)

I hope the Knicks will win a championship this year...hehe. :) Well, that is what Woodson keeps preaching to the players. "[We] got real chance..." Yeah, and those monkeys are flying out of peoples arses.

Kmart is pretty skilled and effective as drawing weak fouls. But the guy is a black hole. He holds the ball, holds the ball, and then passes into bad situations and kills the flow of the offense. Thought McHale was preaching moving the ball side to side, but with Kmart I guess he gets a free pass. Something about his style screams "selfish" to me....

Kmart also keeps moving to the ball even when the set play isn't designed that way. He pretty much is subtly dominating the ball, killing the flow of the offense to get his numbers.

Whether Lin is in or out, expect to see a ballhogging Kmart this year until or unless they trade him.

Again, Kmart looks efficient, moves well, shoots the ball well, but imho is going to kill the team. He'll help them win some games and in some situation he may actually win the game with his lights out shooting, but overall, I wish this guy were gone.

20 to nothing run by the Mavericks. Rockets are settling for jumpers and missing, leading to easy fast break points for the Mavs on the other end. Without a dominant big man inside, Rox will need to be a perimeter shooting team.

People dismissed Lin's defensive stats in NY because of the presence of Tyson Chandler. Actually it's the other way around. They don't realize that Lin has a history and pattern that wherever he goes, he always makes his team a better defensive group and leads his team in defensive rating and on court +/-. And when things happen again and again it just can't be a coincidence!!

He did subtle things on defense (deflections, help defense, hands on shooter's face, getting to the lanes to get fouled to stop any momentum) that don't necessarily show up on the box scores (some in steals or blocks) but it does show in the overal +/-.

Rox doesn't have anything resembling defense in 3rd and 4th quarters. Dallas players were so open it's embarrassing.

One thing people always forget about the Heat game is that Jeremy had the worst, most embarrassing first half of his life...and the Knicks were still in the game.

And during yesterday's preseason game, Jeremy went 1-10 with only 1 assist...and the Rockets were still in the game (75-70 when he left).

That's not a coincidence. In order to stop Jeremy Lin, teams have to severely weaken their defensive attention towards other players. And their players have less energy on offense. Not to mention, Jeremy's excellent help defense (though like I said, he sometimes over-helps).

Don't believe me? Listen to Rick Carlisle.

"He’s a guy you’ve got to game-plan for."

Look, I like Machado. I even followed him casually when he played for Iona (him and Michael Glover). But I highly doubt ANY NBA team will ever "game-plan" to stop him.

Lin is the best defensive point guard I've EVER seen in the NBA. That's saying a lot since I've watched guys like Maurice Cheeks, Gary Payton, John Stockton, and Michael Ray Richardson. Lin is the only point guard who I've ever seen prevent ANY guy from beating him off the dribble.

People talk about Michael Jordan's defensive ability and how he could stop any shooting guard in the league. I rank Jeremy Lin just as high on defense as I do Jordan.

Thanks to Lin's Hall of Fame level defense, the Rockets are going to be a stout opponent that is going to stay in games strictly because of defense. Historically Lin won't let his team get burned defensively, and that'll be even more so in Houston than in NY!

Jae Crowder is lighting them up from downtown. Nobody contesting his shots.

This Rockets team is a mess. It doesn't even look like they are running set plays anymore, just everyone get free and iso up. This team hasn't fully bought into the team concept. And it's not all Jeremy Lin's fault that they don't.

I would have taken Jae Crowder over Jeremy Lamb. Crowder is the spot up shooter and fast break runner that teams love. Lamb looks like an off the dribble shooter who has trouble passing the ball when his iso game hits a snag.

I predicted earlier this summer that Jeremy Lin would have trouble running anything on offense because Houston's big men can't score.

Right now Omer Asik is thriving in the YAWNING gaps created by Lin, but teams are beginning to shut him down by simply rotating over a frontcourter to meet him at the rim. Opponents are starting to clamp down on that little baby shovel pass to the frontcourt teammate that is left unguarded off the rotation.

If the Rockets had Andrew Nicholson who can legitimately score in the post even though he is currently not at full NBA strength yet, he'd either kill teams from outside with the perimeter jump shot (none of the Rockets big men can shoot from outside) or patiently hold the ball until the rotating inside defender has to break his flash defense to go back to the other Rockets frontcourter who's left unguarded. Nicholson's complete skill set down low would enable him to make that short Asik pass, loft a short hook shot over the hands of that defender, or shoot the turnaround jumper falling away from the rim.

Had the Rockets drafted Jae Crowder and Andrew Nicholson, they along with Jeremy Lamb would likely be the STARTERS by midseason!

So our main man didn't play today. I wonder who the critics aka haters are going to bash now? Obviously, without JLin the Rockets will go no where. As for K Mart, i never really like the way the dude play dating back to his Sacramento days, hopefully he can coexist with JLin and make some noise this season. Regardless of the outcome, I pray that JLin will remain healthy throughout his NBA career so We all can enjoy the game that he play so well.

Bad situation for JLin. JLin cant give up his game because of that. Imagine people would foul Novak hard for shooting 3s - should he give up his 3 point shooting? Cant count on those idiotic NBA refs (I hate them). Theres only one way -> whenever JLins being fouled the team has to retaliate at the other end -> play opponents star player hard. If JLins teammates dont back him that way people will keep fouling him. I really dont want the NBA to turn into ice-hockey but I dont want to see JLin being bullied either...

Thanks for the link. Ive noticed something - no matter if you read articles that praise or bash Lin - the majority of commentators (comment section) are always with Lin. Read the forums -> same thing. Bashers are the minority :) Always the same idiots :)

Usually its up to the teammates to do that job. You hurt my man I hurt your man - we ccan keep doing it or you can stop it. If refs dont make a call on one side they must not make the call on the other side...

So - question is: Whos the goon on the team??? For a million a year - Id do it gladly :)

If people dont come to Jeremys defend AND retaliate that means they dont care about their starting PG. I dont blame people yet cause it takes time to bound with the teammates but in near future somebody better step up.

Im tired of these excuses... "he was playing the ball". It doesnt matter if youre trying to play the ball - if you dont get the ball but pull the opponent down instead -> foul!

During 17-0 run in the 3rd quarter, Rox only took 1 timeout trailing 62-67 then KMart and Toney Douglas kept shooting themselves out of the game until 62-77. Noone tried to go inside, got some fouls, or tried to give Asik the ball.

I think McHale tried to teach them (KMart) a lesson that you can't counter hot-shooting by trying to outshoot them. It's crazy that McHale actually let them make their own plays out there. Then again, it's preseason so hopefully they learned their lesson.

Psalm that was a strange game. Man I had no idea KMart was such a chucker. There was no resemblence of a offense scheme it was just run and shoot...that was terrible basketball I'm sorry. I'm old school so I like a good defensive battle, those make for some good games. Anyway that team has alot to learn about each other...

Yeah, KMart also concerned me, Bohdi. He was only trying to create for himself and did not even look for Asik to establish inside presence.

I don't know what the coaching team was looking for in the 3rd quarter other than shoot, shoot, shoot. The worst part is the defense let 3PT shooters wide open for the past 2 games. They have a lot of work to square up their defense.

Its so tough to find the right person to blame. Young people all have an agent in their neck -> "you gotta shine - its your one and only chance to get rich. You dont shine you get dropped".

@Psalm: I surely hope that its exactly what McHale had in mind -> losing a preseason game to teach lessons would be smart.

Anyway - Im glad JLin didnt play today. They finally have to find someone else to blame. People have pointed out that Jeremy - even during bad games - is doing a great job (as PG, steals, play d). A lot of people totally ignore his contributions aside from offense.

You know what I miss in the stats? The distance that people run during a game (like in soccer). If they had such a stat people would see how hard and how fast JLin runs. Lots of these guys who are just interested to fill stats dont run. If they ran hard they would get winded and their percentages would drop as well...

So the Rockets expected the NYK would match their offer. So does that mean the Rockets did not intend to sign Lin, but in fact was trying to stick it to the NYK to force them to pay more and at the same time doing Lin a favor.

Then when NYK did not match, then the Rockets unintentionally got stuck with Lin. Could this be true?

Thats very one-dimensional thinking. When you run a business you have to pursue many strategies at once. If you sign an offer for someone you have to make an assumption - whats the chance I get the deal?

Rockets were pusuing many trades - they might have different preferences (and we will never know if JLin was their first oder second choice unless they tell us which they wont) but Jeremy is who they got and they seem to be very happy so far (with Jeremy being the face of Rockets adds now).

So - Im sure the Rockets wanted JLin (we dont know how much they wanted him but they wanted him) - otherwise they wouldnt have added the poison pill to increase their chances. Also - its well established that the owner wanted JLin. After all - Rockets have the asia connection. They know best of all NBA teams how to cash in when it comes to asia (for what they need an asian player).

Its the same with JLin. When asked about the offer sheet he said that he was sure NY wanted him back - that was his preference. But - he also asured that he wouldnt have signed the offer sheet with the Rockets hadnt he been excited about the posibility to end up playing for them.

I know it's useless to say this now, but am I the only one who wished Lin would have signed with Dallas in the summer. I think a lot of people don't realize that Lin makes great entry pass, and would be a prefect alongside a player like Dirk.

Sure but that's assuming Dallas would have gave him a contract that the Knicks wouldn't have matched or Lin would have accepted. In order to get that "poison pill" deal the Mavs would have had to give him a 3rd year, but I don't think anyone on the books for that long. Dallas has a current roster that will give them immediate cap space either the summer of 2013 or the following in 2014, if they choose to do that.

Dirk also might not be 100% because of his knee, but luckily for him he's from Germany so he can always go back and try out the Kobe procedure. Perhaps Lin will try that too, if his knee continues to bother him throughout the season.

By the way, the Rockets better start letting Lin run the offense more often. They keep letting Parsons, Lamb, Martin initiate the offense to much. And Jeremy needs to wake up and start going back to his fearless and aggressive style. I rather have a turnover-prone but aggressive point guard than a passive and a "no-turnover" point guard.

You know, I wouldn't mind JLin to rest his knee in the next 2 preseason games so his teammates know how much they need his leadership and learn to play together as a team on both ends of the floor.

His NY teammates actually respected him during his first 7 games streak because they had experienced the pain of the losing streak first. This Dallas game was the first time the young Rox team experienced a hot-shooting team making a run in the 3rd quarter and noone knew what to do about it. KMart and Douglas tried with their shooting but shooting jumpers are not leadership, even they make them.

And I sure hope JLin takes the leadership role as the floor general by the first regular season game to bark orders, make balanced plays in shooting and passing, and inspire the team to play team defense. It seemed he still defers to KMart as the veteran leader and KMarts just wants shoots his way to be an All-Star. They're also missing defensive stopper like Shump. Defense will be their Achilles heel if McHale does not make them be accountable soon.

Their Achilles heel is their inexperience. They showed no effort on the defensive end. They have sufficient athleticism to be a decent defensive team. 123 points without Dirk is pretty terrible defense!!

Whenever people say that JLin should wake up they basicly insult him. Either they dont believe he has troubles (bodywise) which means they claim hes a liar or it means they think he doesnt work hard enough.

What you want to see (him kicking ass) is not neccesarily what Jeremy needs right now. He needs his youngsters to wake up. By giving them the chance to fail all on their own they get the chance to learn a lesson - that is to listen to JLin when he makes calls and to execute the game plan. Today we have seen it - at some point there was no game plan anymore. They were just running up and down, trying to score hotheadedly...

Ive had the feeling since the the first preseason game that they acknowledge him to be the star (like when they huddled around him with their hands on his shoulder) but during the game they dont really listen to him. I mean - have you seen during the second game how Jeremy waved his arms? He tried to direct them. Usually a PG doesnt do it so obvious unless he is either mute or hoarse or thinks his teammates are dumb :) (what I think they are - too young - too hot headed - therefor dumb).

The team needs to fail so they can undersand what Jeremy is doing out there...

I would agree with you, nephelauxetic, were it not for the fact that it's IMPOSSIBLE.

Lin is actually being triple teamed whether he has the ball or not. He's man guarded by the best perimeter defender, is jammed on the perimeter by helping big men, and has a 3rd big man waiting for him if he splits the double team. Lin's being guarded HARDER than he was in NY last season!

The only way for Lin to beat these traps is for the Rockets to SCORE. So far, the Rockets can't do that YET.

That said, I won't bet against Jeremy Lin. Throughout Lin's career, he's played for horribly overmatched teams and won anyway. A Jeremy Lin teammate has Lin drawing heavy defenses and his teammates making all sorts of hero plays in the yawning gaps created by opponents focusing on Lin.

The young Rockets will be FORCED to create in the gaps created by Lin.

...Morley's signing of point guard Jeremy Lin to a $25 million deal this summer is a head-scratcher, especially when one considers that Morley waived Lin, then an undrafted, cheap free agent fresh out of Harvard, right before the start of last season...

Man... I think that it is such a bad time for him to have his commercial and him being on the cover of GQ talking about what happened. It really doesnt help him at all especially now that he is struggling during the preseason. Get ready for the ny media to take his word out of context or twist his words...

I do think the article is timely. If the so called "know all" NY bloggers, writers, sports analysts, ESPN commentators (namely the screeching loud mouth Stephen A Smith)continues to write and talk, all I can say is that they just could not move on with their "miserable, pathetic" lives!

In my opinion, what matters is how Lin performs on the court. Lin has said countless of times about how he was offered one contract only but people are still calling him a liar.. It is so darn ridiculous. I know Lin should be able to do whatever he wants, but if I was his agent, I rather him just avoid commercials/interviews for now. Let his game do the talking . He is getting much more flack because he is not doing well now. I also hate the fact that Lin talks about how he wanted to retire as a knick.. now all the ny media is going to talk about how Lin wants to be back and stuff like that.. you know how the media operates... they twist his words/ taken out of context. No matter what Lin says, those ny fans would not believe him neither will those who already hate on him..That is why I feel he should just concentrate on his game and do less talking to give people less opportunity to flame him because no matter what he says.. it would be spurned into something negative.

Lin's not stupid, he fully understood the consequence but he's still honest and just spoke his mind.

This article also gave some real dose to those so called "real Rockets fans" as why Lin preferred NY despite the toxic locker room and media. NY fans for most parts were indeed awesome. They treated him way better than Houston fans who care more about football anyway. The Rockets home attendance is an embarrassment. Their bbs has more Chinese fans than local fans. And then it filled with posts with locals slamming Lin and Lin fans. Lol.

I dont know about you guys but do you think Lin is feeling the pressure and that is why he is performing the way he is? I know we could argue otherwise saying it is his injury..getting used to playing again...new coaches and teammates.. It might be rather early to say but I get this feeling that Lin feels like he is under tremendous pressure. In ny, he had nothing to lose but this season it is different..

The Knicks are expected to contend while the Rockets are expected to go to lottory. I would say there would be more pressure in NY. Actually, every athlete has pressure. You think Lebron had less pressure than Lin when he's projected to be GOAT from the day he's drafted? No! If Lin couldn't handle even this Houston environment, he didn't deserve anything really.

@ Cara: I think knick fans are really different from Rocket fans. Knick fans have alot of pride and they will boast about their players all the time. That is why when Lin became a rocket, they felt that he left them and it was inconceivable why he would do that. For that, they believe the story that he went for the money and stuff like that.Rocket fans are more objective I guess. They are bashing Lin cause they want to see results since he was seen as the "face" of the franchise. I had no idea they did not have a huge fan base. Let's hope the rockets team call help rejuvenate its fan base :) I really hope Lin kills it this season but his knee still is giving him problems. To be honest, I was actually glad that the rockets got hammered. Hear me out.. the rookies need to experience for themselves that they have much to learn . Better to realise it now then during the regular season. I think during media day Coach mchale and Lin talked about how the rooks wanted to play against LBJ something along those lines.. you can argue that they have confidence which is good but in my opinion, that is just immature especially when they have not played a single nba game. I think the rookies think that they did well in summer league so there is some confidence in them..but it should be noted that confidence and arrogance are 2 different things.

@ cara : It is true that Houston is not expected to contend but Lin as a player, is expected to perform at least decently. Also, All star game is held in Houston so hopefully Lin puts up decent numbers but most importantly, get wins . At the same time, I just want Lin to recover completely from his knee injury which means getting his explosiveness, speed back. If it means him having a sub par season , I can deal with that. I think we can all agree that we rather Lin be completely healthy then risk injury this season .

It doesn't matter if Lin has a huge fan base in Houston or not. The important thing is that he delivers during important games. Basketball is not a popularity contest so the fans can screw themselves.

I want some DOMINATION and some HUMILIATION.

Regardless of the enormity of the pressure, Lin should embrace since he's being paid like a franchise player so he better act like one.

I have high expectations for Lin this season and I'm ignoring his atrocious preseason performance since they do not count anyways. However, the regular season is a different matter. I'm going to give him credit if he produces like an all-star but I'm also going to voice my discontent when he plays like in the SPURS game.

You want the rookies to respect you, be aggressive and produce. They do not listen to Lin because he suddenly become passive. Jeremy needs to start focusing on being the fearless player that he was and stop deferring and especially stop with all the commercials. Sheeeshhhh!

I don't like the Rockets fans bashing Lin either. But I wouldn't try to argue with them like some Lin fans tried to do (that even irritated them more from what I observed). I will wait for Lin to perform on the court, they will embrace him then and forget about Dragic very quickly. The fact is that Lin is yet to do so. Most sports fans are like these. Even Knicks fans are no different. They embraced Lin because Lin performed for them. Some might already made up their mind and hated Lin regardless. For those irrational people, it's even more meaningless to argue with them then.

As for the rookies, don't worry, they will be humbled very quickly for sure. Even Lin said before he was a bit arrogant after he signed with GSW and then was humbled badly after. Those rookies will learn. If they don't learn, they will flame out quickly.

- HELL NO!!!!!!That is the last thing I want; I want some all-star caliber basketball out of him. He doesn't necessarily need to be the best pg but I expect him to produce at least near an all-star level. He's being paid like a franchise player and the Rockets did not sign their two pgs for Lin so Lin better not disappoint all of us.

I expect at least 17 ppg, 7 apg, and 2 spg

However, if he continues to struggle shooting the ball, I expect him to produce 14 ppg and 9 apg

Minimum REQUIREMENT FOR LIN: Be an All-Star

Bonus: Get to the playoffs, Win Most Improved player, Win 2nd all-defensive team, Win 2nd or 3rd NBA team

I love Lin's fearless style; full of swagger; full of passion; He better bring that out of him when the regular season starts

@ Cara: yeah. I think some of the Lin fans should let it rest. I just wanted to remind you guys I am a huge fan of Lin and you have no idea how much I want him to kick ass but do you guys think he would have a good season? The way I see is, if the rooks do not do well this season, and if Lin is seen as the best player on the floor, there is a likely chance that opposing teams are going to double team him and I am afraid it might make him injury prone. Also, I am not sure if I remember correctly but Mchale said that Lin had to learn to be effective without getting into the paint so as to avoid injury. I think I remember us fans saying that it was lin's strength right? Therefore, I really dont know how things are going to turn out.Asik has been good defensively but he needs a reliable back up centre.

@nephelauxeticyeah..the commercials are a bit much if you ask me. I dont know why he does not turn them down. I like Lin's attitude and how humble he is but sometimes I can see why people dont buy that. He has a commercial for volvo, appearing in CSN and sports centre as well?(not sure) To be honest, I think he should have given it a miss. That is not important at all. I know as fans we are suppose to be supportive but this time round..I have to admit that Lin should just concentrate on his game. I would have said the same thing even if Lin was doing well during the regular season.I just feel that all these media exposure just gives people the opportunity to rip him apart . For me, it is more about the fact that it isnt the right time to do it .

"Lin said that he wanted to be a member of the Knicks for the rest of his career"

- Jeremy, move on and forget about those Knicks fans. You are a Rockets so don't try to be nostalgic or something. I cannot believe he said that during his latest interview. Unbelievable!!!He seems too attached to the KNICKS. He should be thinking about getting his revenge against DOLAN and company. NO MERCY!!!!

My advice to Jeremy is to start treating the KNICKS as your NO.1 ENEMY. THEY ARE YOUR ENEMIES NOW JEREMY. ENEMIES. Sheeesssh!

EXACTLY!!! That was what I was thinking too. He is giving those knick fans the satisfaction that Lin misses them.I seriously want to knock some sense into him. Is he not playing for GOD? I have no idea what has happened to him. He is making himself look very pitiful right now! Come on Lin! you are a warrior!

yeah.. he mentions that he knew nothing about houston. Even I think that is kind of an insult to those rocket fans.. I know they are bashing him right now about his performance but he should at least be more enthusiastic. He needs to shed off the new york thing and start performing in Houston. you are right when you say that he lost some of his swagger and fire.. hope he gets it back soon. :)

When he said that the first time round in sports illustrated I think it was understandable because it was still fresh in people's mind but NOW?! Lin serously needs to be careful with what he says. The 85% comment now this... get it together jeremy!

You are in Show business but Lin is an athlete. His job is to destroy opponents and not try to be the next Tebow or something. Tebow seems to be infatuated with the limelight. Jeremy needs to clear his head and start balling. I could even speculate that he seems to be too distracted.

This isn't about Tebow. This is about Lin. And Lin is the MARQUEE SUPERSTAR that the glossy photos make him out to be.

Besides, I'd rather have Lin look like the Hollywood millionaire that he IS than some no money no game nobody that shuffled in off the street. It's not appropriate for Lin to look worse than what he really is: a SUPER RICH MILLIONAIRE.

It's not right to insinuate that Lin is "distracted". If anything, he's TOO FOCUSED.

I say Lin is too focused because I can easily read his body language on and off the court.

When I was Jeremy Lin's age, I was overly focused like him. That's what it took to establish myself, especially since I had just as many racial haters as Lin did. Were I not hyperfocused, I'd never have made it.

Lin is pressing. You can see it in his gait, his quotes, his body language. He's not able to play the way he wants to play, though that's likely because of the triple teams and not because of his knee which looks FINE to me.

Lin and I are Taiwanese. We Taiwanese men have a tendency to overwork ourselves, which I believe is an inborn genetic trait. It was harder for me to NOT overwork myself than to overwork myself, and Jeremy Lin is simply going to have to learn to back himself off himself as I did!

everyone chill. gotta take in this GQ article and this entire preseason with perspective. Lin IS grateful for all of this and has said it repeatedly. It's great that we, his fans, are so deeply vested in his success and concerned with his failures. Houston is playing these pre-season games with partial rosters and minimal game plans and scouting reports. So don't worry so much about a bad shooting game or what he said in some article from an interview that probably took place months ago. Just keep being his fans and support this team!

Sure! we still support him man :) If I am not mistaken this interview was in September? So I thought he should just get over it. Thing is, sometimes Lin puts himself out there to get criticised (things which he can control). I have to agree with neph that he does not seem to get over it. Is like he cares about his popularity. Since he is in Houston the least he could have said was that he was excited even if it is just to accommodate the Rocket fans.

Steve Nash professed undying hatred for the Lakers. Charles Oakley got beat up by Xavier McDaniel in a fistfight, and then they ended up as teammates. Dwight Howard says that he loves Orlando fans even though he hated the town and the franchise.

@khuang : that is my point. he should try to concentrate on his games. I am more disappointed what what he said in the interview than the interview itself. He can do whatever he wants but he is setting himself up with all these media coverage . I have faith in Lin but he should be smarter when giving interviews thats all I am saying. He keeps talking about the knicks. They dont give a damn about him

No interview I have ever read has translated into on court success or even contract failure. Heck, the Rockets were trying desperately to get Dwight Howard even though he publicly said that he'd never play for Houston!

Lin can think whatever he wants and say whatever he wants. As long as he hits his open jump shots, I'm fine with him playing like an ALL STAR in all other facets of the game.

Well, Lin DOES have a problem hitting open jumpers. So I acknowledge your observation fully.

Still, the double and triple teams are not helping. It's hard to shoot properly when one's exerting so much energy just to avoid the defenses. Fatigue, physical and mental, does take its toll.

In the NBA, there's no such thing as a "great shooter" because defenses are so stiff that even the best shooters need help scoring. Thus even super scorers like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade and Kevin Durant need secondary scorers around them to siphon defenses away.

Lin needs his own "superteam" in order to not have to exert crazy energy beating the double and triple teams singlehandedly. Yet he might MAKE ONE out of this Rockets team, just like he has all his life!

When real NBA games start, the Houston Rockets are in for a major shock.

I predicted this summer that opponents would completely shut down the interior and jam the perimeter.

Indeed, I see major signs that's happening. Jeremy Lin is being zoned on and off the ball with a constant double team. Everywhere he goes, there are not one but TWO big men shadowing him. The way he's being covered now is no different than what he's going to face during the season. Lin is facing the Jordan Rules, only MORE that what Jordan faced because Jordan played in the illegal defense era where teams could not zone him off the ball!

Meanwhile the Rockets big men, particularly Asik that opponents are just learning about, have benefitted off Lin's supremely heady passing. However, NBA teams are going to start bumping the novice Rockets big men every time they try to get their feet set off Lin's passes. Plus, the Rockets big men are so limited in their scoring ability that a single frontcourter down low can stop BOTH of the Rockets big men at the same time (the way Tim Duncan did with his 5 blocks in 12 minutes!)

People who don't know the game are not going to understand that the Rockets backup point guards, particularly Scott Machado, will be left unguarded. That's because those guys cannot get the job done even undefended. It's no different from leaving Rajon Rondo wide open because everybody in the NBA knows that he can't hurt a team with the ball in his hands!

Despite all of my gloomy predictions, I won't bet against Jeremy Lin. As the ultimate floor general in the NBA, he's not going to sit there meekly and watch his Rockets team screw up wide open opportunities created by his presence on the court. The Rockets will LEARN HOW TO PLAY off Lin, just as so many other players like Danny Green and Steve Novak and now Omer Asik have.

The rookies need to mature quickly if they want to get to the playoffs. If Lin, Parsons, Martin, and Asik can carry the load offensively then they can probably win at least 30 games but if they want to win 45 games, then the rookies must produce!

I keep ranting about how a typical Jeremy Lin team has Jeremy being double and triple teamed on the perimeter while his scrubby teammates are running wild making hero plays!

With this Rockets team, there'll likely be a different hero every night. Some nights it's going to be the rookies that "carry" the team offensively. As time goes on, I actually can easily imagine the rookies SUPPLANTING Parsons and Martin and Asik simply because the rookies have more game!

The one constant is that Jeremy Lin will be triple teamed all season long. But Jeremy Lin has spent the entirety of his career being triple teamed! The guy is so dangerous that he kills opponents by siphoning away defensive pressure toward him.